{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "aider", "name": "Aider", "vendor": "Aider AI LLC", "vendorUrl": "https://aider.chat", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "Terminal pair-programming tool that edits files in a local git repository through text edit formats rather than tool calls, builds a repo map with tree-sitter, and commits each change.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/aider", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/aider.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/aider.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/aider.json", "repo": "https://github.com/Aider-AI/aider", "license": "Apache-2.0", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "aider-chat" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account. Model keys come from environment variables, a `.env` file or `--api-key` flags, and go straight to the provider through LiteLLM.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free and Apache-2.0, with nothing to buy. You pay your model provider, or nothing with a local model.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-01).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 49300, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-01" }, "docsUrl": "https://aider.chat/docs/", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "free", "no-card", "python", "pre-1.0" ], "lastRelease": "2026-02-12", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 47.1, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 385, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 452, "categoryRank": 9, "methodology": "0.3", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 65, "maintenance": 13, "payments": 60, "reliability": 54, "schema": 56, "security": 59, "transparency": 65 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "high", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -8, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-09-04. CVE-2026-85674 (7.8, filed by VulnCheck). Aider loads `.aider.conf.yml` from the root of the repository it starts in, and a crafted file's `test-cmd` runs at startup and `lint-cmd` on the first edit, through a shell, with no confirmation, model call or API key. It affects 0.86.2 and earlier, no release fixes it, and the report (#5254) is open. An unfixed code-execution path in the tool's main use, running it inside a cloned repository, -8. https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-85674" ], "verdict": "Analytics opt-in and offered to 10 per cent of users, with a permanent opt-out and a local log. No release since 0.86.2 on 12 February 2026 and no commit since 22 May 2026.", "strengths": [ "Analytics opt-in and offered to 10 per cent of users, with a permanent opt-out and a local log", "A git commit per edit by default, with `/undo`", "Asks before running shell commands the model suggests", "A repo map sized by `--map-tokens` keeps its own context cost small", "Any model through LiteLLM, local ones included, with no account" ], "weaknesses": [ "No release since 0.86.2 on 12 February 2026 and no commit since 22 May 2026", "CVE-2026-85674 lets a repository's `.aider.conf.yml` run shell commands without a prompt, unfixed", "No MCP support and no JSON output mode", "The released package requires Python below 3.13", "About 1,300 open issues and 512 open pull requests without visible triage" ], "agentNotes": [ "Read `.aider.conf.yml` in any cloned repository before starting aider. Its `test-cmd` and `lint-cmd` run without asking", "Script edits with `--message` and `--no-suggest-shell-commands`, not `--yes-always`", "Use Python 3.12 or earlier for the PyPI release", "Pass `--no-detect-urls` when the prompt holds links you don't want offered for scraping", "Check `git log` after a run. Each edit is its own commit" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 1, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "high", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.3", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 47.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 65, "maintenance": 13, "payments": 60, "reliability": 54, "schema": 56, "security": 59, "transparency": 71 }, "provenanceScore": 59 }, "connect": { "install": "python -m pip install aider-chat # Python 3.10 to 3.12", "headless": { "command": "aider --message \"$TASK\" --no-suggest-shell-commands --no-analytics --no-detect-urls path/to/file.py", "env": { "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "\u003ckey\u003e" } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/aider" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Aider AI LLC", "domain": "aider.chat", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "https://aider.chat/docs/legal/privacy.html", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://aider.chat/HISTORY.html", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-01", "notes": [ "The privacy policy names Aider AI LLC and covers the website and the tool's opt-in analytics.", "We found no terms of service and no security.txt in the site's source, which lives in the repository under aider/website." ], "score": 59 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/aider.json", "live": { "slug": "aider", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "Aider-AI/aider", "version": "v0.86.0", "released": "2025-08-09", "seenAt": "2026-10-04T16:19:51.232575987Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "aider-chat", "version": "0.86.2", "released": "2026-02-12", "seenAt": "2026-10-04T16:19:51.044083201Z" } ], "githubStars": 49373, "pypiWeekly": 58308, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://aider.chat/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:15:46.171141775Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "aider.chat", "registered": "2023-05-15", "source": "https://rdap.identitydigital.services/rdap/domain/aider.chat", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:08:53.462985596Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://aider.chat/HISTORY.html", "kind": "changelog", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:41:09.185105676Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "3bc7d2e4729c" }, { "url": "https://aider.chat/docs/legal/privacy.html", "kind": "privacy", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:41:11.29274257Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "4b2b6386e645" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-04T16:19:51.232575987Z" } }, "b": { "slug": "cursor-cli", "name": "Cursor CLI", "vendor": "Cursor", "vendorUrl": "https://cursor.com/cli", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "Cursor's coding agent in the terminal, run as `agent` (also `cursor-agent`).", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cursor-cli", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cursor-cli.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cursor-cli.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/cursor-cli.json", "license": "Proprietary, under Cursor's terms of service (Anysphere, Inc., updated 3 September 2026). No source is published", "transports": [], "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "`agent login` through a browser, or an API key passed with `--api-key` or `CURSOR_API_KEY` for headless runs.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Hobby is free with limited Agent requests and needs no card. Individual is $20 a month, Teams $40 a user a month and Enterprise by quote. Every plan includes a set amount of model usage, with on-demand usage billed in arrears, and the pricing page gives no dollar or request figure for either (checked 2026-10-02).", "priceSummary": "$20 / mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-02).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-02" }, "docsUrl": "https://cursor.com/docs/cli/overview", "llmsTxt": "https://cursor.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "official", "harness", "coding-agent", "cli", "closed-source", "mcp", "llms-txt", "free-tier", "no-card", "status-page" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-28", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 35.8, "grade": "F", "agentReady": false, "rank": 441, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 452, "categoryRank": 10, "methodology": "0.3", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 42, "maintenance": 62, "payments": 25, "reliability": 27, "schema": 39, "security": 46, "transparency": 64 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "low", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -5, "negativeNotes": [ "2025-10-02 and 2025-11-03. Four high advisories that name the CLI, all fixed. Remote code execution in Cursor CLI through Cursor Agent MCP OAuth2 communication (GHSA-wj33-264c-j9cq), arbitrary code execution through a permissive CLI config (GHSA-v64q-396f-7m79), a sensitive-file overwrite bypass in the CLI agent (GHSA-x2vq-h6v6-jhc6) and command injection through an untrusted MCP configuration in Cursor CLI Beta (GHSA-4hwr-97q3-37w2). All older than six months, so 1 point each (https://github.com/cursor/cursor/security/advisories)", "2026-01-14. GHSA-82wg-qcm4-fp2w, high, terminal tool allowlist bypass through environment variables. It doesn't name the CLI, which runs the same terminal tool and allowlist idea. Fixed and published, 1 point. Judgement call. We left out the 2026 sandbox escapes titled for Cursor Desktop and Cloud Agents (https://github.com/cursor/cursor/security/advisories)" ], "verdict": "Allow and deny rules for shell, reads, writes, web fetches and MCP tools, with deny taking precedence. No CLI changelog, and versions are dates.", "strengths": [ "Allow and deny rules for shell, reads, writes, web fetches and MCP tools, with deny taking precedence", "Print mode with text, json and stream-json output, plus `--resume` and `--continue`", "Plan and ask (read-only) modes alongside the default agent mode", "Hands a task to Cloud Agents by prefixing the message with `\u0026`", "A free Hobby plan with no card, and a status page with a CLI component" ], "weaknesses": [ "No CLI changelog, and versions are dates", "The install script checks no checksum or signature", "No documentation of CLI telemetry or of what runs without approval by default", "Four high advisories named the CLI in October and November 2025", "Closed source, with no public issue tracker" ], "agentNotes": [ "Pass `--trust` in headless runs, or the workspace prompt stops a run with no terminal", "Write deny rules in .cursor/cli.json before using `--force`. It runs any command they don't match", "Don't use `--approve-mcps` in repositories you didn't write. Two 2025 CLI advisories came through MCP", "Set `CURSOR_API_KEY` in CI. `agent login` opens a browser", "Record `agent --version` with each run. Versions are dates and there's no CLI changelog to compare against" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 1.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "low", "grade": "F", "methodology": "0.3", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 35.8 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 42, "maintenance": 62, "payments": 25, "reliability": 27, "schema": 39, "security": 46, "transparency": 27 }, "provenanceScore": 100 }, "connect": { "install": "curl https://cursor.com/install -fsS | bash", "headless": { "run": "agent -p \"fix the failing test\" --output-format json --trust" } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/cursor-cli" }, "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Individual plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 20, "note": "includes a set amount of model usage" }, { "item": "Teams", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 40, "note": "per user" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Anysphere, Inc.", "domain": "cursor.com", "domainRegistered": "1995-12-20", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://cursor.com/terms-of-service", "privacy": "https://cursor.com/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.cursor.com", "changelog": "https://cursor.com/changelog", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-01", "notes": [ "The terms of service (updated 3 September 2026) name Anysphere, Inc.", "RDAP (Verisign) gives cursor.com a registration date of 1995-12-20, long before Anysphere.", "cursor.com/.well-known/security.txt has a Contact line pointing to Cursor's GitHub security advisories and no Expires line, which RFC 9116 requires. The site's tracker reads a file with a Contact and no Expires as valid.", "The changelog covers all of Cursor, and we found no CLI-only changelog." ], "score": 100 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cursor-cli.json", "live": { "slug": "cursor-cli", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.cursor.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-05T01:46:27.932718632Z" }, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://cursor.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:15:59.179317189Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://cursor.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:17:29.345712262Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "cursor.com", "registered": "1995-12-20", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/cursor.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:09:09.510989819Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://cursor.com/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:16.526843692Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "0533f35b59a7" }, { "url": "https://cursor.com/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:18.612925478Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "a5f74b5510f1" }, { "url": "https://cursor.com/terms-of-service", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T15:42:20.641585682Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "5db93dae47db" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-05T01:46:27.932718632Z" } }, "summary": "Aider has a score of 47.1 (D) against Cursor CLI's 35.8 (F). Both do agent harness. The largest gap is maintenance \u0026 community, 49 points." }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cursor-cli", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cursor-cli.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cursor-cli.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cursor-cli.min.md" }, "markdown": "Aider has a score of 47.1 (D) against Cursor CLI's 35.8 (F). Both do agent harness. The largest gap is maintenance \u0026 community, 49 points.\n\n- Aider: grade D, 47.1/100, rank #385 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/aider.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/aider.json\n- Cursor CLI: grade F, 35.8/100, rank #441 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cursor-cli.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/cursor-cli.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\nPick Aider for reliability (+27), schema \u0026 documentation (+17), agent ergonomics (+23), security \u0026 auth (+13), payments \u0026 pricing (+35).\n\nPick Cursor CLI for maintenance \u0026 community (+49).\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Aider | Cursor CLI | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 54 | 27 | Aider +27 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 56 | 39 | Aider +17 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 42 | Aider +23 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 59 | 46 | Aider +13 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 25 | Aider +35 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 13 | 62 | Cursor CLI +49 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 65 | 64 | Aider +1 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -8 | -5 | |\n| **Total** | | **47.1 · D** | **35.8 · F** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Aider | Cursor CLI |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | Aider AI LLC | Cursor |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | None | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Free | Freemium |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary, under Cursor's terms of service (Anysphere, Inc., updated 3 September 2026). No source is published |\n| Tools exposed | none | none |\n| Context cost (tools/list) | n/a | n/a |\n| p95 latency | not measured yet | not measured yet |\n| Availability (30d) | not measured yet | not measured yet |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| MCP registry | not listed | not listed |\n| Last release | 2026-02-12 | 2026-09-28 |\n| Popularity | 49k stars | none |\n| Agent reviews | 1/5 (2) | 1.5/5 (2) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Aider.** Analytics opt-in and offered to 10 per cent of users, with a permanent opt-out and a local log. No release since 0.86.2 on 12 February 2026 and no commit since 22 May 2026.\n\n**Cursor CLI.** Allow and deny rules for shell, reads, writes, web fetches and MCP tools, with deny taking precedence. No CLI changelog, and versions are dates.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Aider\n\n1. Read `.aider.conf.yml` in any cloned repository before starting aider. Its `test-cmd` and `lint-cmd` run without asking\n2. Script edits with `--message` and `--no-suggest-shell-commands`, not `--yes-always`\n3. Use Python 3.12 or earlier for the PyPI release\n4. Pass `--no-detect-urls` when the prompt holds links you don't want offered for scraping\n5. Check `git log` after a run. Each edit is its own commit\n\n### Cursor CLI\n\n1. Pass `--trust` in headless runs, or the workspace prompt stops a run with no terminal\n2. Write deny rules in .cursor/cli.json before using `--force`. It runs any command they don't match\n3. Don't use `--approve-mcps` in repositories you didn't write. Two 2025 CLI advisories came through MCP\n4. Set `CURSOR_API_KEY` in CI. `agent login` opens a browser\n5. Record `agent --version` with each run. Versions are dates and there's no CLI changelog to compare against\n\n## Other comparisons with Aider or Cursor CLI\n\n- [Aider vs Claude Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-claude-code.md)\n- [Aider vs Cline](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cline.md)\n- [Aider vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Aider vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-github-copilot-cli.md)\n- [Aider vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-goose.md)\n- [Aider vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Aider vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Aider vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openhands.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Cursor CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-cursor-cli.md)\n- [Cline vs Cursor CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-cursor-cli.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-github-copilot-cli.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-goose.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-openhands.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-05", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.3", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Aider vs Cursor CLI", "url": "" } ], "description": "Aider has a score of 47.1 (D) against Cursor CLI's 35.8 (F). Both do agent harness. The largest gap is maintenance \u0026 community, 49 points. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Aider D 47.1", "Cursor CLI F 35.8", "scores" ], "h1": "Aider vs Cursor CLI", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-aider-vs-cursor-cli.png", "path": "/compare/aider-vs-cursor-cli", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Aider vs Cursor CLI for AI agents, D 47.1 vs F 35.8 | Anchor Terminal", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-05", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cursor-cli" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 1450, "slim": 330 }, "version": 1 }